


Someone Worth Existing

by LStar



Category: New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Angst, Bullying, Child Abuse, Fluff, M/M, Self-Harm, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, and kaito still lives with his grandparents, danganronpa whats that, fixed, hahahahaha NO DESPAIR, he's also kinda dumb, i should update others but, idk what that is, kokichi still has a bad relationship with his parents, never heard of it, no hopes peak, ok its pregame but like, pregame au, protective pg kaito, this oneshot idea bro, tw topics, wait is this slowburn, why am i writing this
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-12 04:37:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,679
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20161441
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LStar/pseuds/LStar
Summary: How can someone his age be this small and weak? Still, seeing someone this defenseless puts Kaito in a protective mode. He made a decision right then and there; he would protect Kokichi Ouma.





	Someone Worth Existing

**Author's Note:**

> I...promise I'll try to update my other stories... :,)

When his first period history teacher announced the arrival of a new student, Kaito only rolled his eyes. He really didn't care about the other students...they were all heartless and selfish to the core, why would he care about them? Of course, this didn't mean Kaito thought he was selfless or heartfelt. No, he was the same as them. He didn't care for others. He didn't care what happened to them. Whatever they were going through was their business. Not his.

The high school he attended, _Imperial's Capital High, _most students were at least five foot six- maybe it was just the location of the school, as even Kaito knew sometimes, when you go to other prefectures, the people in their own area are smaller, and others taller. He's heard it's the same in tons of countries- like America, the south consisted of smaller people, while the north had taller people.

It was weird, but whatever.

That being said, Kaito's never left Shinjuku, the hometown of his school, so he's never really seen anyone under five foot five.

Until now.

Shortly after the teacher made the announcement, a boy walked in.

And holy _hell_ he was _tiny_.

Seriously, did this kid even eat? He stared at him, eyes narrowed. The boy didn't seem to notice. He didn't fidget like he'd expect- it was common in fanfictions or stories or movies for a new kid to either be super upbeat and give out free cupcakes and spread friendship, or be a fidgety, nervous wreck. But this kid didn't do either. He just stood there with a blank face, as if he didn't care.

"Why don't you introduce yourself?" the teacher prompted the new kid.

The kid's violet eyes shifted to the teacher, then back towards the class. "My name is Kokichi Ouma," he said in a matter-of-fact tone. He didn't say anything else. The teacher cleared her throat. "Yes, thank you Ouma. You can sit next to Momota. Momota, please stand up and try not to scare him off."

Kaito snorted, standing up to show Kokichi where he'd be sitting. Kaito himself sat in the back corner of the room, and people avoided him like the plague. He did have a terrifying reputation as the school's _delinquent, _after all. Kokichi didn't flinch from his stare. He just approached him, didn't even spare him a glance, and sat down. Kaito huffed a little and sat back down, eyeing Kokichi intently.

He really was just a pipsqueak. He barely reached Kaito's chest in height.

The teacher began class, promising Kokichi to get him caught up. Kokichi didn't seem all that concerned.

"Do you need something? Or are you just that rude to be staring at me?" Kokichi suddenly asked, his eyes darting over to Kaito. His voice was quieter, as to not be heard by the teacher.

"I'm just wondering how you're so small. Are you a gremlin or something?" Kaito retorted back, just as quietly.

The corners of Kokichi's lips curved upwards. "Or something," he responded.

"Ouma, I know you're new to the class but please, unless you have the answer to the question, do not speak," the teacher called. Kaito expected his face to turn red, or for him to stammer out an apology or hide himself- cliches, right? But no. Kokichi turned back to the teacher, standing up.

"The Meiji Restoration happened in 1868, which caused the ruin of the _Tokugawa Shogunate, _which ended the Edo Period, and that went on from 1603 to 1867, and started a new period known as the _Meiji Period, _lasting 1868 to 1912, and that created modernization and westernization."

...What the literal fuck?

That thought went through everyone's minds. The teacher looked dumbfounded. "Err...yes. The Meiji Restoration happened in 1868..." she said slowly, rubbing her head. Kokichi sat back down, appearing oblivious to the many stares he received from his classmates. Or if he did notice, he didn't care.

"The hell was that?" Kaito asked, jaw slack.

Kokichi shrugged. If it wasn't for the corners of his lips twitching, Kaito would have assumed he was completely unaffected. "It's just something I already learned. No big deal."

"No big deal?" Kaito repeated incredulously, "all she did was ask when the Meiji Restoration happened and you spouted like ten extra facts over shit we haven't even gone over."

Kokichi's twitching lips turned into a real small grin. "It's nothing. Really. Pretty basic."

"You say that, yet you're practically glowing," Kaito pointed out.

Kokichi just chuckled abit and turned back to face the front.

Well. This was interesting.

~

By lunchtime, Kaito couldn't help but notice how kids seemed to avoid Kokichi. They looked at him like he was a freak, whispering things amongst eachother, lots of which he himself heard. And he suspected Kokichi heard them too.

"He thinks he's so smart."

"He isn't better than any of us."

"He's so pretentious."

"Maybe his smartass brain is bigger to make up for his lack of height."

The remarks were cold. Not quite cruel, but definitely ill intentioned. It...kind of agitated Kaito, honestly. But he ignored it. Kokichi wasn't doing anything about it, so why should he? Still...seeing him sit alone in the corner of the cafeteria with no food filled Kaito with something akin to pity. Should he go over there and sit with him? Should he offer some food? He was certainly a little too skinny for comfort but...well, this wasn't some stupid anime or story. This was real. He wouldn't just waltz up to him, give him some food, and then listen to Kokichi's life story.

So, he sat where he usually did with his tray of food, and ignored him.

~*~

Kokichi wasn't stupid, nor was he deaf. He knew damn well what the other students were saying about him. But he ignored it- it's not like he could stand up for himself and defend himself, right? So why bother wasting his energy trying? It didn't mean that the harsh remarks didn't hurt him, by all means. But he did his best to appear indifferent- after all, that's all he was good at. He had an extremely low self esteem, to the point where he didn't even care if something happened to him. Given the opportunity, if something were to happen, Kokichi would likely volunteer to check on what's going on because he _doesn't care._

No one does, really.

Not his parents, not his older brother, not the students, not the teachers...

Kokichi often found himself wishing someone _would_ care. That someone would reach out to him, slap his blank mask away and find the real him, and just give him a hug or _something_. _Anything_. He was tired of floating around this empty void of self loathing. He just wanted...someone. He wanted a _friend_.

He thought...maybe, that Momota guy would be the one. The one to get to know him. But he only spared Kokichi a small glance before ignoring him at lunch.

It...saddened him, a bit. But of course, he hid that feeling behind his empty mask.

His stomach growled. He rested a hand on his stomach, willing himself not to wince. He was starving- his parents didn't feed him very often, a few times a week at best, and refused to give him lunch money for school. He couldn't even search the couch or anything for loose change- they frisked him everyday before school to make sure he didn't steal any money from them.

He supposed he could always search under the vending machines or something but...students would see him. They'd have another excuse to be cruel to him. And honestly? He wouldn't be able to handle that kind of torment. It dug up too many wounds.

Just like the wounds on his body...

_No. Stop that,_ he scolded himself. He sighed and rested his chin on his hand.

Another boring, lonely lunch. Just like his other school.

~

It'd been a couple weeks since he's come to Imperial's Capital High school, and everyday just felt lonelier and emptier. But he still kept a cool mask, never flinching, never crying, never protesting against his newfound bullies. He just...accepted it. He could see Momota- or as he was told, Kaito, was a little disturbed by his treatment, but he never stepped in.

Well, it was the feeling that counted, he supposed.

Kaito...

Talking with him in first period history, and seventh period Japanese made coming to school worth it. He liked talking to Kaito. And Kaito didn't openly hate him. It was a nice change. He may still be alone, but he could at least have a little bit of a good time.

Until...the verbal bullying became physical.

It started off when he was at lunch. He'd just been sitting in his usual lonely spot when one of his bullies came up behind him and dumped his sloppy joe on his head. Kokichi let out a surprised gasp, his eyes widening in shock. Students nearby laughed at him.

"Oops. Sorry Ouma. Here, let me rinse you off," his bully, who Kokichi recognized as Riku Kawashima, suddenly poured milk on his head. He managed to squeeze his eyes shut before any of it could get in his eyes. More laughter erupted from nearby students, which caused others to turn and see what was going on. Soon, the entire cafeteria was laughing.

Face burning, Kokichi stood up, and ran out of the cafeteria.

~*~

Kaito wasn't laughing. He stared in genuine disbelief as Riku poured his food and his milk on to Kokichi's head. His heart tugged when he saw the cool mask on his face begin to break, his face twisting to utter humiliation and horror, before he ran out of the cafeteria.

Should he...go after him? Or tell Riku to knock it off?

Unsure what to do, he continued to sit there and eat his lunch, though his stomach was churning at the thought of eating now.

He realized later that he should have stepped in.

~*~

After the cafeteria incident, Kokichi rinsed his hair with the school's sink and used paper towels to dry off. He didn't look the cleanest, but it was better than nothing. He sighed, and grabbed his bag, leaving to sit on the roof for the remainder of lunch. He wasn't bothered by anyone on the roof, thankfully.

Things...got worse as the day progressed.

Every class he went to, someone would trip him, pull his chair away from his desk before he sat down, kicked his bag, smacked whatever he was holding out of his hands, and so on. 

Kokichi hated it.

For a week, this petty bullying went on.

Upon seeing Kokichi did nothing to stop it, slowly, it got worse and worse.

After school one Wednesday, Kokichi was putting stuff away in his locker when a hand slammed on the locker beside his, causing him to involuntarily jump. "Hey Kokichi," a sickly sweet voice cooed.

It was Riku Kawashima. Along with Haruto Agachi, and Daichi Nakamura. The three six foot something guys were all grinning wildly at him. Kokichi's heart sped up in fear, but he kept his face neutral. "Yes?" he asked quietly.

"Are you claustrophobic?" Haruto asked.

Kokichi blinked. "Well...no..." he admitted.

"Oh good then you'll have plenty of fun today!" Daichi cackled and suddenly, Kokichi's books and bag were on the floor, and he was lifted in the air by his shirt, his feet dangling helplessly. He felt panic, but he did his best to hide it. "Wh-what the hell are you doing?" he asked.

"Don't curse at me, you fucking piece of dog shit," Daichi snarled, slamming Kokichi's body against the lockers. Pain flared up through his entire body, and he cried out. He was already bruised from his parents. This was just adding insult to injury.

And then, a fist connected with his face.

And another.

And another.

And another.

Kokichi was wheezing and his nose was dripping blood. His body hurt. His face hurt. No one was nearby. He felt helpless.

"Enough. Put him in," Riku said.

Daichi chortled and smirked, moving to shove Kokichi into his locker. Kokichi's eyes widened. "Wait! No-!"

They slammed the locker shut and twisted the lock, effectively locking him in the small space. Of course he still had a tiny bit of room, as his body was tiny but still...

"Get me out!" he panicked.

Through the cracks of the locker, he saw Haruto pick up his stuff and the three walked away, laughing and high fiving. He had no idea where they were taking his stuff, but now...he was trapped. Until someone could come get him out.

~*~

Kaito arrived at school earlier than usual on Thursday. He didn't know why...he just...had a hunch something was gonna happen. It put him on edge because he had no clue what it could possibly be. His hunches were usually pretty accurate too, so...

When he arrived at school, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A couple of the higher ups were in the office, but that's about it. His brows furrowed, and he decided to walk around the school.

Eventually, he walked down a certain hall when he heard it.

A small groan.

He looked around. "Who's there?" he asked defensively. There was shifting, that sounded abit muffled...suspiciously, like it was in a locker.

"Kai...to..?"

His heart dropped. He recognized that raspy voice anywhere. "Kokichi? Where are you?"

"Locker...232..."

Kaito spun on a dime and ran to the locker, and sure enough, faintly, just faintly, he could see violet eyes peeking out. "Holy shit dude, what the fuck?" Kaito demanded.

"Just get me out...please...my combination is 34-26-11."

Kaito quickly spun the lock until it landed on the numbers and unlocked it. He threw the locker open. Kokichi looked very uncomfortable, pale, and like he'd been stuffed in. He tried getting out, but it wasn't exactly easy, as he had a top locker. The lock was mouth level to Kaito, so it was abit high up for someone like Kokichi. Not to mention, he'd been stuck in the same general position for god knows how long. So by the time he got his upper body out, his knees gave out and he collapsed.

Thankfully, Kaito was still there. He caught him, clutching him. Kokichi gripped his arm, burying his face in Kaito's shoulder. With a start, Kaito realized he was shaking.

"Kokichi..?" he asked tentatively, "hey...how long were you in there?"

"Since after school yesterday," Kokichi rasped. He sounded like he was crying.

Kaito slowly lowered Kokichi to the ground, and pushed him away gently, forcing him to look up. With a horrified pang of sadness, he saw Kokichi was, indeed, crying. "You were in there all night?" Kaito said in disbelief.

Kokichi nodded.

"Shit. Okay, um...okay..." shit shit shit what did he do? What was he supposed to do? Should he tell the principal? Kaito did have a good idea on who did this to him, but...at the same time, Kokichi looked awful. He was pale, dark, heavy bags were under his puffy red eyes, he had bruises littering his face, his lower lip trembled, his body was shaking, his hair stuck to his head as if he'd sweated through the night, and his uniform was all wrinkly.

"I can...take you home, if you want," Kaito offered awkwardly.

Something...unexpected happened.

Instead of agreeing, Kokichi started sobbing. "No! D-don't take me home! Please! I can't...I can't..."

Terrified that Kokichi would go into some sort of panic mode, Kaito held his hands up. "Alright, alright! Fine! I'll...take you to my place, okay? My grandparents are out of town this week so there won't be an issue..."

Slowly, Kokichi calmed down, but he was still crying.

Awkwardly, Kaito left with Kokichi.

~

Once Kaito and Kokichi arrived back at Kaito's house, Kaito decided that Kokichi's wounds had to be looked over. It was awkward- but they were friends, right? So it was okay? Sure, it seemed at first that only Kokichi's face suffered a beating, as he had a black eye, a nose with dried blood on it, and his cheek was bruised, but Kaito noticed every now and then Kokichi would wince and hold his side.

Kaito had Kokichi sit on the counter in his bathroom as he got the first aid kit. He first carefully wiped the dried blood off of Kokichi's face. "Okay...Kokichi, you need to listen to me, okay? I want you to take your shirt off so I can see the damage done to you." What? He's...never this gentle. Never this careful. What made Kokichi so different?

Kokichi tensed up. "W-why do I need to do that? I'm fine..."

"That's a lie," Kaito rolled his eyes, "I'm not gonna hurt you or anything."

Kokichi shifted. "I know, but..."

"But what? Look, dude, if you're fine, then you wouldn't give a shit if I checked!"

"I just...don't like people invading my privacy...that's all..."

"Kokichi, that was the worst lie I've ever heard."

"..."

"Just take your damn shirt off so I can make sure you don't need the hospital! If I can't check it, then I'm sure the paramedics will!"

Kokichi jumped, and squeezed his eyes shut, unbuttoning his black uniform top before sliding it off. Underneath was a white long sleeved shirt- it was early winter, after all. Slowly, shakily, he took that off too.

Kaito froze, his breath hitching.

Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't...this.

Kokichi was thinner than he expected, firstly, as he could very clearly see and count all of his ribs. But that wasn't the main concern at the very moment.

No. It was the sheer amount of bruises covering this poor boy's torso. There almost wasn't a single bit of his pale skin showing. Bruises covered him ranging from hand sized bruises, to fist sized, to foot sized.

And then he noticed Kokichi's arms.

Not only were they covered in bruises looking as though he'd been grabbed several times, but...the other side of his arm...they were littered in cuts.

Kaito felt sick.

Kokichi wasn't meeting his gaze.

~*~

After several minutes of deafening silence, Kokichi spoke up. "Kaito...please say something," he begged. He couldn't take the silence anymore. Kaito's face wasn't even readable. Kaito blinked and looked at him. "Ah...sorry," he muttered and started to awkwardly inspect every bruise. After a moment, he spoke again. "Do you have any bruises on your back?"

Kokichi shook his head.

Kaito muttered something under his breath and got out some disinfectant. "I don't...know how useful this is, but better safe than sorry...some of these still look new," Kaito said, dabbing some on a cotton ball and gently going over his cuts with it. Kokichi gave a slight hiss, but stayed still.

Eventually, Kaito finished, and he bandaged Kokichi's arms up.

"There...your bruises on your torso look kinda old, so I'll leave those alone. But I'll get you an ice pack for your face. Your nose doesn't seem broken so it'll be fine...um, you can like..." Kaito rubbed the back of his neck, "use my shower. I'll uh...wash your clothes and lend you some of mine."

Kokichi stared at him.

"What?" Kaito asked defensively.

"I just..." Kokichi shook his head, "nevermind. Thank you.."

~*~

Kaito scoffed, his face burning up slightly. "Whatever. It's nothing." He turned. "Go ahead and get your shower. When you're in, I'll leave you clothes and wash yours." And with that, Kaito left the bathroom, getting his smallest shirt- which would still be gigantic on Kokichi, and some sweatpants. He decided to leave Kokichi's boxers alone. That'd be going too far.

He heard the shower turn on after a minute. He waited an extra minute before he headed back to the bathroom. He knocked on the door. "You in?" he called.

"Yeah."

Kaito took cue and opened the door, laying the shirt and pants on the counter and taking the uniform. He noticed the boxers were red with yellow stripes and couldn't help but snort quietly. He turned his attention to the curtained shower. "Towels are in the cabinet above the toilet. Use one when you're done."

"Okay."

Kaito left him, and tossed the uniform in the washer and headed to the kitchen. May as well feed the little cute gremlin while he's at it-

Wait. No. Not cute. Nope. Where'd that come from? Cute? Kokichi? Nah. Not at all. He wasn't gay. Nope nope nope.

....Okay, maybe he was a little cute.

Not the point! He shook his head and gave his temple a couple punches, before focusing on making breakfast.

Kaito ended up making eggs and bacon. That's all he could cook, after all.

Eventually, the shower shut off, and after several minutes, Kokichi came out. The sweatpants were tied to keep them up, and the shirt reached a couple inches above his kneecaps, the shoulders too broad for his slim frame so they slid off his shoulders.

Kaito covered his mouth and turned in attempt to hide his now-burning face.

"Is something wrong?" Kokichi seemed oblivious to Kaito's being flustered. That, or maybe...he had such low self esteem he couldn't imagine anyone being attracted to him. With a sad pang in his chest, he realized that may as well be the case. He cleared his throat.

"No. Nothing. Sit down, breakfast is done."

He got down a plate as Kokichi sat slowly at the table. He dumped all the scrambled eggs on to the plate as well as the bacon. It was allot of food, Kaito will admit, but Kokichi needed the weight gain. He got a fork and set them in front of Kokichi, who's eyes practically popped out of his skull. "U-um...Kaito? You put the food...all on my plate? Aren't you eating?"

"I already ate. You, on the other hand, haven't eaten since _at least _yesterday morning. You didn't eat lunch, and you were trapped in the locker. _You_ need to eat," Kaito said firmly.

"A-are...are you...sure? I mean...it's so much..."

"Just eat the damn food."

Kokichi made an oddly adorable squeaking noise, picked up the fork, and began eating. Kaito noticed with some sadness that Kokichi was practically shoveling the food into his mouth, as if trying to eat as much as possible. How often was he fed..?

Come to think of it...

Where did the older bruises come from?

Ideas and theories started forming in his head. He swallowed. Well, no point in beating around the bush. He may as well be blunt. Otherwise he may get a roundabout answer. "Hey, Kokichi?"

"Hmf?" Kokichi looked up at him, still chewing. He had abit of egg on his lower lip. Kaito stared at it and then stared into his eyes. "Are you...being abused at home?"

Kokichi choked.

Kaito stayed still as Kokichi collected himself. "What? Wh-why would you think that?"

Kaito sighed. "Well firstly, you're terrifyingly skinny. I can literally count your ribs. Second, those bruises aren't recent. And I know you've only recently started getting physically bullied at school. So factoring those two facts together..."

Kokichi was silent for a solid minute. He closed his eyes. "...Yeah. I mean, no point in hiding it if you're gonna press on and find out later."

"Dude, you need to call CPS."

"I can't! They'd find a way to worm out of the situation and hurt me more!" Kokichi snapped, tears pricking his eyes.

"Then stay with me, goddammit!"

~*~

"...What?" Kokichi asked, his eyes widening. Kaito suddenly looked a tad bit flustered. "I said stay with me. I mean...you don't...deserve what you go through," Kaito muttered.

"But...I'm really high maintenance."

"So?"

"And what about your grandparents?"

"They'll just be psyched I have someone over, and my grandma would be all too happy to fluffen your skinny ass up."

"But my parents might..."

"I'll call CPS and explain the situation. They'll let you stay if my grandparents agree."

"But..."

"Kokichi. Seriously. Don't worry about it."

Kokichi bit his lip, fidgeting. "Kaito..."

"Also," Kaito interrupted, "don't worry about your dumbass bullies. I got this."

It was dead silent for several minutes as Kokichi slowly began to eat again. Uneasiness and nervousness settled in his stomach. After he was done with his food, he sat there. Kaito wordlessly took his plate to the sink. He didn't rinse it, he just left it there. Finally, Kokichi spoke up. "Why? Why are you being so nice to me? Why are you going out of your way for me?"

Kaito paused. "...Well...we're friends, aren't we? Friends help eachother."

"...Friends..?"

"Yeah."

Once again, tears welled up in Kokichi's eyes. But they weren't tears of sadness. They were tears of raw, unfiltered, joyous emotion. He got up, and ran to Kaito, who flinched back in surprise, only to freeze when Kokichi's bony arms wrapped around his waist, his face buried in his chest for the second time that day.

Kokichi could hear Kaito's heart speed up, but ignored it. He focused on the fact Kaito was, albeit slowly, wrapping his arms around him in return.

What...was this feeling in his chest though? He was feeling...happier? Mushier? What? He felt so confused. He's...never felt this way about anyone before.

Guess he'll just play it by ear.

~*~

Kaito and Kokichi ditched school that day, calling in for both of them, telling the principal Kokichi stayed over and got sick, so he's looking after him. The principal seemed to buy it.

Kaito also ordered pizza for dinner that night.

Kokichi seemed so thrilled over the prospect of it. Seeing his eyes widen at the taste and start gobbling the rest up, his cheeks puffed out slightly, cheese hanging from his soft looking lips, and eyes wide made spending the allowance he had worth it. The face was too adorable.

...Adorable, huh. He never thought he'd be using that word on anyone.

Kaito, two years ago, had come to terms with his bisexuality. So emphasis on _anyone._

When Kokichi fell asleep on the couch watching movies with Kaito, Kaito carefully scooped him up, abit alarmed at how light Kokichi was, but pushed the thought to the back of his mind and took him to his own bed, carefully tucking him in. He quietly excused himself from the room, and grabbed his cellphone, and made a phone call to CPS.

He quickly explained Kokichi's home situation, how he wasn't being properly fed, how he was being abused, and how he was staying with him. He insisted his grandma would be fine, but gave them her phone number to verify. They promised it would be handled accordingly.

Once that phone call was over with, he sighed, but his tension wasn't gone. He still had to wait for his grandma to say it was okay. She hasn't even met Kokichi, so what if she says no? What if-

His phone rang. It was his grandma. He answered.

"Hey grandma..."

_"Kaito, what is this about an abused boy staying at our home?" _she asked in her old, shaky voice.

"Ah...well...I made a friend sometime ago and I found out today he was being abused at home so...I thought maybe we can help him..?"

Silence...

_"Of course we can. On the condition he makes sure to take care of himself, and come to any of us if he's uncomfortable."_

A huge smile crossed Kaito's face. "Course! I'll let him know tomorrow! Thanks, grandma!"

_"You're welcome. Goodnight, Kaito."_

"Goodnight!" he hung up.

This couldn't be better. He let out a, albeit quiet, cheerful whoop.

And then...he collapsed to the couch, suddenly exhausted. Not physically, but mentally. He didn't realize how stressed he was about the situation until it's been settled. With a sigh, he flopped down, his legs dangling over the opposite end of the couch, and fell fast asleep.

~

It didn't feel long, but eventually, Kaito had to get up for school. But, he couldn't move. His eyes snapped open, wide awake and alert, but instantly relaxed. Kokichi was just laying on top of him, a blanket covering the both of them. His head was on Kaito's chest, his body slightly curled up. He looked so...peaceful...

...Wait.

Kokichi was sleeping...on top of him.

Kaito covered his mouth to avoid waking him with a very unmanly noise, his face feeling hotter than fire.

Should...should he get up? Should he wake Kokichi?_ When did this happen oh my god he's so cute what the fuck abort mission???_

He soon decided, yes, wake the cute little gremlin up. His uniform were dry and waiting anyway, they had school. And Kaito had business with Riku, Haruto and Daichi. He knew where they hung out before school, so he could get to them before they have a chance of even _looking_ at Kokichi.

"Hey, Kokichi, wake up," Kaito carefully shook him, not wanting to cause him pain. Kokichi jolted awake, then relaxed. He sat up and rubbed his eyes and _goddammit Kokichi stop being so fucking adorable._

Kokichi's face turned bright red. He hopped off of Kaito. "Ah- sorry!" he stuttered, "I just...um...well...I uh..."

Kaito started laughing, which made Kokichi pout.

"Go get dressed for school, you fuckin' dork."

"Dork?" Kokichi whined.

"You heard me," Kaito got up and ruffled his hair, heading to his room to change into his uniform. When he was done, he came out, and Kokichi was in the bathroom, likely either changing bandages or getting dressed. Or both.

The two left after eating a quick breakfast.

Once arriving at school, Kaito shooed Kokichi to his locker. "Go. I'll meet you in first period, kay?"

"Okay."

After making sure Kokichi was gone, Kaito spun around and hurried off outside, to the back of the school. Sure enough, the three assholes were there, chatting, laughing about...whatever. Kaito dropped his bag. "Hey!" he shouted.

They turned to him.

"Oh, Kaito. What's up?" Riku asked casually.

"Don't you _what's up_ me. I'm here for one thing."

Riku cocked an eyebrow. "And that is?"

"I want you to leave Kokichi Ouma alone."

The three burst out laughing. "That shrimp? No way, he's perfect for us to mess with," Haruto cackled.

"If you don't listen to me, right now, you'll regret it," Kaito warned, feeling his anger spike up.

"Try it, bitch bo-"

Haruto was down in a second. Kaito had lunged at them, his fist ready, and punched him as hard as he could in the face. Riku and Daichi lunged for him at the same time. Kaito punched Riku in the gut and right after, Daichi grabbed his upper arms from behind, yanking him back. But the thing was, Daichi was a couple inches taller than Kaito. So he had no problem throwing his head back, hitting his face, and getting him to let go and stumble back. He reached over, grabbing his arm, and flipped him, slamming him on top of Riku. He stood over the groaning boys. "Who did it? Who was the one who hurt Kokichi?" he asked in a dangerously low voice. Fearfully, Daichi rose his hand. Kaito snarled and punched him in the nose, satisfied when he heard a crunch and watched as blood gushed down his face. Daichi screamed. "_That's_ for Kokichi's nose," he moved and punched his face. "_That's_ for his cheek," he hovered above him. "And _this_ is for his _eye_!" he punched him again. Daichi continued to scream. Kaito slammed a hand over his mouth. "If you don't stop screaming, I will send you to the fucking emergency room."

Instantly, Daichi was silent.

"Now, who's idea was it to put Kokichi in that fucking locker?"

Riku made a scared noise. Kaito threw Daichi off of Riku and got on top of him, his knees pinning his arms down. "You're a _fucking_ _asshole_! Who knows what could have happened to him?" he started to repeatedly punch him.

After, probably only fifteen seconds of him punching the shit out of Riku, something smacked Kaito's head from behind. He fell to the side, his head slamming against the ground. His vision blurred, but he forced himself to get up, glaring at Haruto, who held his bag in his hand. Kaito lunged for him, and Haruto swung again. Kaito kicked the bag away before it could hit him and tackled him down, giving one good, hard punch. He slowly stood up, staring down at the boys in satisfaction. He went all out...not just because of yesterday, but for all of the pain they put his Kokichi through.

"If you tell anyone I did this to you, I will hunt all three of you down and not even UMC will be able to fix what I'll do to you. And if you ever even look at Kokichi again, I'll break every bone in your body. Do you understand me?" he seethed.

The boys groaned, but it sounded very much like an agreement. Kaito brushed himself off and started to leave. He paused. "By the way...what did you do with Kokichi's bag?" he asked.

"I-it's just...in the trash...by the office," Haruto croaked.

Kaito gave a curt nod, picking up his own bag, and headed off.

~*~

Kokichi waited for class to start, biting his lip. The class was slowly filling up, and still no Kaito. In fact, he didn't even show up until seconds before the bell rang. Kokichi sighed in relief, and beamed at him. His smile fell, however, when he noticed a bloody scrape on his temple. "Kaito! What happened?" he asked, tensing up.

"Huh?"

"Your head!"

"Wha- oh. This. I fell," Kaito shrugged, and grinned. "Look what I found," he moved his hand from behind his back and held out...his bag. Kokichi's eyes widened. "You found my bag?!"

"Yep."

"Oh my god, thank you!" Kokichi hugged Kaito, who made a surprised noise, but pat his back awkwardly.

"You're welcome..."

The bell rang. And the day started.

~

At lunch, Kaito sat with Kokichi, sharing half of his food with him. To Kokichi's surprise, he didn't see Riku, Haruto or Daichi anywhere. He looked back at Kaito's head, and slowly, everything clicked into place. "Kaito...when you said you'd handle the bullies...did you..?"

"Yep."

"...Oh my god."

"I had to get them to stop messing with you somehow. They deserved it."

"I..." Kokichi's eyes watered.

"Woah, woah, woah! No crying," Kaito protested. Kokichi gave him a shaky laugh, resting his forehead on Kaito's arm. Kaito was silent for a moment, then nudged him. "Besides, I never told you the news."

"News?"

"My grandma said it was okay for you to stay."

Kokichi stared at him again, shock probably evident on his face. Slowly, he grinned and hugged Kaito again.

This year was...really gonna look up, wasn't it?

~

After school, since it was Friday, Kaito took Kokichi to a cheap store, using the last of his money to buy Kokichi some new clothes. Clothes of Kokichi's choice. Thankfully, he barely had enough.

They headed back to Kaito's house.

"So about the rooming..." Kokichi spoke.

"I thought about that. I was thinking...maybe we should...you know, share rooms...in case you have a nightmare, th-that's all!" Kaito stuttered, red faced.

Kokichi covered his mouth to hide his smile. "I...wouldn't mind."

Kaito visibly relaxed.

A couple hours later, the front door unlocked, and in came Kaito's grandparents. The two boys, who were sitting on the couch with another movie popped in, got up. 

"Hey grandma! Hey grandpa! Welcome back!"

"Hello Kaito," his grandma gave him a warm smile and a hug. She turned to Kokichi, staring at him for a minute. Kokichi fidgeted. His grandma smiled. "My, aren't you a cute one? Kaito's very lucky to have found a new boyfriend." Immediately, both Kaito and Kokichi's faces turned bright red.

"Grandma!"

"But you're so skinny, dear! I'll make a huge dinner, okay? Let me unpack first," she headed to hers and Kaito's grandpa's room, who was already unpacking. He was chill with any decision his grandma made, it would seem.

"I guess she likes you already," Kaito mumbled, looking embarrassed.

"I'm glad," Kokichi said softly.

It was awkward for awhile, but eventually, they sat back down, a subconsciously closer than before, and continued their movie.

~*~

Months have passed since Kokichi moved in. It was now February. But lately, Kaito hasn't seen Kokichi, or his grandma. It was a little worrying, but he let it go. He stretched, flopping on his bed. Tomorrow was Sunday, as well as Valentine's Day. He's been wondering...should he do something for Kokichi? He's already admitted it to himself- he liked him. No, he loved him. Everything he did was cute, and he just wanted to protect him from any danger.

He heard the front door, and Kokichi and his grandma's quiet whisperings. He ignored it.

Kokichi came in, and crawled next to Kaito, looking very happy.

"What's up?"

"Nothing."

Kaito snorted. "Whatever."

Kokichi huffed. "Let me rephrase: I'm not telling you!"

"Brutal."

Kokichi stuck his tongue out.

Kaito just laughed.

~

The next day, Kaito wasn't expecting Kokichi to wake up before him. He wasn't expecting him to be making breakfast with his grandma either. Kokichi turned to Kaito, smiling nervously. "Happy Valentine's Day, Kaito."

"You too," Kaito replied, unsure how to respond.

His grandma made a motion to Kokichi, who's face reddened and he shook his head.

Weird.

Once breakfast was ready, his grandpa joined them, and they all ate.

As the day went on, Kokichi kept insisting they do stuff together. A movie? Sure. A board game? Why not. Eating lunch? Okay.

By the end of the day, after dinner, Kokich grabbed a bag, and tugged Kaito out front. "Come on! Follow me!"

Kaito obliged exasperatedly.

They reached a park that was only a few minute walk from his house. "Look at the sunset, Kaito."

"Yeah, it's pretty."

"The sun's reflecting on the lake, too."

"Yeah. So, what's up? You've been acting weird all day," Kaito couldn't handle the dying curiosity. Kokichi shifted from foot to foot nervously. "Okay...well, here..." Kokichi dug through his bag, and handed out...a red, heart shaped box with a pink bow tied to it. He slowly took it. "Kokich-?"

"Open it."

Confused, Kaito opened it. His eyes widened.

There was a variety of chocolates inside, and on the lid was a handwritten message.

_For the one I love. - Kokichi Ouma_

"Kokichi..."

"A-and I also got you this!" Kokichi took the last thing from his bag out. It was a blue teddy bear with a space theme on it. It was actually...pretty cool looking.

"Kokichi, you love me?"

Kokichi nodded, face red. "I've...liked you for months now. It took me awhile to realize I did love you, but I'm so happy...you've been there for me for so long and you make me really...genuinely, happy. I hope I can make you happy too. Because-"

He never got to finish. Kaito had leaned down and kissed him.

He pulled away.

Kokichi stammered.

"That's cool. I kinda like you too," Kaito grinned at him.

"K-Kinda?" Kokichi pouted.

Kaito laughed. "Okay. I _really_ like you. You know why?" he used his free hand to cup Kokichi's cheek. Kokichi stared up at him expectantly, blushing. Kaito's hand traveled down, resting on the small of his back as he whispered in his ear. "Because you're someone worth existing."

And with that, the two shared another kiss. Kaito and Kokichi both knew they've come a long way in just a few short months, but neither could be happier.

Once they went back home, they went straight to their room, laying snuggled up beside eachother, limbs entangled, with Kaito slowly eating the store bought chocolates, and occasionally feeding Kokichi one, and at random, giving him a kiss on the lips.

Kaito was truly Kokichi's loving protection.

**Author's Note:**

> OH MY GOD THIS TOOK FOUR HOURS TO WRITE I'M IN PAIN.  
Also, okay, look I know Kaito and Kokichi didn't go to the same high school pregame but this idea is too?? Cute?? To pass up??  
I wrote pregame saiouma anyway so, pregame oumota time. And one day I'll write pregame oumami.  
ALSO!!! About pregame Kaito, if this fic didn't clarify, I don't see him as a bully or a psychopath. I see him more like a Yoshiki Kishinuma (Corpse Party) a bad boy but he's also caring and loyal for his friends, and extra protective of his crush. I think they're pretty similar, actually!  
Anyhow, for now, I'd love some feedback!


End file.
